I want to know Christ...

But now, I think that all the things I used to have to do on a daily basis to be "good enough", and all the ways I used to categorize myself and my special form of spirituality--basically, it's all garbage.  I just want to know Christ, and be identified simply in relation to Him (not any other holy person or group--just Him).

And I'm yearning to know the power of His resurrection in practical and transformative encounters, and real-life, daily experiences.  I also want to participate in His suffering, becoming like Him in His death, and then, eventually (I don't know how), get out of the grave with a life that will never die.

--Philippians 3:7-11

Justice Conference

Since I attended the Justice Conference last month in Philadelphia, I've been meaning to do a write-up on initiatives who are tackling sex trafficking around the world.  For several reasons, I actually missed most of the talks.  But more important than the talks was my time in the booths hall, talking with NGOs who are doing amazing work all over the world.

So, I don't have too much to share from the speakers.  But, I did take some pictures!

The speakers I heard were pretty great.  This is Gary Haugen, president of International Justice Mission.  His staff are tenacious.  Whatever country they're in, they want to prosecute traffickers.  So, they just keep working--for years--until the traffickers are in jail.  One of my favorite quotes (ever) is from Gary Haugen's talk: "What's so great about this is that, when they go to jail, they can't hurt the children anymore."

There was also a number of musicians.  They weren't all my style, but I really liked Leeland, and Gungor (who will also be performing at the conference in Hong Kong!)

I actually spent more time out in the booth area than in the main conference hall.  I think there were over 100 different justice initiatives represented.  They were almost all based in the U.S., but the majority had projects around the world.

There were too many to do justice to them all here.  So, this blog post will be specifically addressing anti-human trafficking work, as this was my main focus in attending the conference.

This will be long, so you might have to skim through and come back later.

Intervarsity Press, with books and resources to fight sex trafficking, including Refuse To Do Nothing: Finding Your Power to Abolish Modern-Day Slavery. (See video promo here.)

Vanguard University's Global Center for Women and Justice. See their "Ending Human Trafficking" podcast here.

IAST is a branch of the Salvation Army dedicated to fighting sex trafficking.  I spoke with Lisa Thompson, whose presentation was remarkable.  Here's an interview she gave about her work last October.

This year's Freedom Climb will see 44 women climb Mt. Everest, to Summit Kalaphatar (18,192 feet). On top of being an awesome hiking trip, it's also an awesome fundraiser, whose proceeds are used by Operation Mobilization to fight sex trafficking around the world.  What's also really cool is that the Freedom Climb team brings dozens of people to the base of Mt. Everest, who spend two weeks praying and crying out to God for an end to slavery, while the others are climbing.

The main work of Zion Project is to rescue and care for trafficked girls in Uganda.  Unlike some NGOs, their primary objective is not just to give every poor African extra condoms.  They know that real change requires long-term relationships, and reliance on the work of the Holy Spirit to heal and transform.

FAAST connects major Christian NGOs to combat trafficking.  They also provide training resources and workshops to educate about specifics of preventing human trafficking, and caring for those who have been freed.

The mission of Hagar International is to restore lives broken by sexual exploitation in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore...and now in Hong Kong!

From love146.org: "Pimps are strategic, organized, and committed in getting to children.  We must be more so."  Read the beautiful story about how they chose their name.

See Remember NHU's 5-minute documentary on how they prevent children from entering the sex trade.

Unseen Ministries gives valuable media support to help NGOs fight poverty and sex trafficking.  Interserve provides opportunities for people to use practical skills to meet real needs, all over the world.

The Justice Experience is set up at churches, schools, and events all over the United States.  It gives eye-opening (but not graphic) visual aids about what it means to be a slave.  (This project is coordinated by Calvary Chapel of Delaware County and the International Justice Mission.)

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company does community-transforming work in Rwanda and Haiti.  This group doesn't specifically address human trafficking, but it was certainly one of my favorites at the conference.  Besides giving out free coffee each night of the conference (!!!), they also have a great motto: "Drink Coffee, Do Good."  (Maybe I'll take that as my life's motto.)

Justice Ventures International helps small "justice ventures" to grow by offering legal advice and  capital investment.   Justice--sounds like a very worthwhile investment idea!

Freedom Street Ministries is a ministry that YWAM coordinates to bring freedom to street sex workers. They have a pretty holistic approach to deal with this problem in the community of San Jose, Costa Rica.

I snagged a photo of Shane Claiborne, who was certainly a superstar of the conference.  Here, he is doing an interview with the Bruderhof Community.  (I'd never heard of them, either.  But I recommend looking around at their website for 90 seconds.)

World Relief is involved with many projects to help the poor and oppressed, including anti-trafficking work in Washington State, Florida, and North Carolina.  They also helped to launch FAAST.

Okay, I think International Justice Mission was my favorite.  They are dedicated human rights lawyers and activists who believe in the power of prayer. One of the staff told me that their daily office hours include private prayer time and a 20-minute all-staff prayer meeting.  By the way, they are also running the annual Global Prayer Gathering April 5-7.

Venture Expeditions.  Adventures + Missions = Justice for the Oppressed.  Way cool.

From the homepage of Better Way Imports, about their staff in Calcutta: "They would like to see the 10,000 sex workers in their neighborhood empowered with the choice of leaving a profession they never chose in the first place."

Exile International works with war-affected children and former child soldiers in the Congo and Uganda.

I didn't stay for it, but there was also a film festival.  Not Today is on the plight of slaves among India's dalits (untouchables").  It will be in U.S. theaters in April.

Stopping in briefly at the film festival were Pastor Andrew Gardener and Justice Advocate Tony Read, from my home church in Hong Kong.  They are now preparing for the Justice Conference Asia, to be hosted at the Vine Centre, May 16-18.  (Photo taken without permission--hence the covert rear shot.)

You may not read this whole post, or view all the websites and videos here.  But I'd like to suggest that you pick one that looks interesting, check it out, start praying for trafficking victims, and just do something.

Go for it.

Bold as a Lion

I was visiting a couple churches in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 10-11.  At one church, we heard from a couple people representing Operation Mobilization.  They were talking about their work, including Logos Hope, a ship of 400 missionary staff that travel the world.

On a side note, the ship actually recently docked for several weeks in Hong Kong, several blocks from my church in Wanchai. I got to meet several of the OM missionaries there last month during Thursday night street ministry.

Logos Hope docking in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.

The Logos Hope ship contains the world's largest floating bookstore.

During OM's presentation in Cedar Rapids, they gave away a number of books. I got a copy of John Piper's Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die (free pdf available online).  A good friend in Fredericksburg had told me several days beforehand, "You have to read this book."  So, now I get to.  And it's really good!

--

Okay, now to the point of this blog: All I really want to write here is an excerpt from the book.  In chapter 12, Piper examines Romans 8:34:

Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

And, though this doesn't do it justice, here's my personal translation of the verse:

Who can actually condemn us? Come on, guys! Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us!

This verse means a lot to me, because of its power in addressing the enemy's ploys to accuse God's elect.  When I experience the condemning voice of the "accuser of the brethren", Romans 8:34 is a "shield of faith".  I hold it up to remind the enemy that the case is closed--and Jesus has won.

Piper spends a a page unpacking the verse, and then he writes:

The world will bring its condemnation.  They may even put their sword behind it.  But we know that the highest court has already ruled in our favor.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).  No one successfully.  If they reject us, he accepts us.  If they hate us, he loves us.  If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free.  If they afflict us, he refines us by the fire.  If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise.  They cannot defeat us.  Christ has died. Christ is risen.  We are alive in him.  And in him there is no condemnation.  We are forgiven, and we are righteous.  "And the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).

Taken from simplesparrowart.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (...and Family!)

Yesterday was a pretty cool day.  Here is my Friday, roughly categorized into 3 sections: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I spent this past Thursday night with relatives in Chesterfield, Virginia.  It was a beautiful time of catching up, for the first time in a few years.  I forget sometimes...I have a really cool extended family!

So, Friday morning, I had breakfast with relatives near Richmond.  We'd had a great time the night before, catching up about all  our interests and involvements.  My cousins shared about everything from the Air Force and beekeeping, to music and blacksmithing.

Afterwards, I drove to Staunton (my "hometown"), and got a standard physical exam.  A medical intern happened to be at the clinic to shadow the physician.  The doctor especially wanted him to be there during my examination, because of how unusual my health is!

Then, I had an amazing lunch in downtown Staunton at "Taste of India".  I was able to meet up with my dad and my brother Daniel.  Regrettably, I didn't take pictures of them.  But I took pictures of the food!

All-you-can-eat Indian buffet, $7.95.  <cheers>

Over lunch, my dad told me that my old Nissan pickup (the same little blue truck I had during high school and college), has been turned into a tap-tap bus in Haiti!  After the last major earthquake, he set up a non-profit, to receive donations for projects to help the poor there.  Among other things he's done, he bought and donated several used cars in order to start a tap-tap service, to help fund a medical clinic there.

After lunch, I went with my brother Daniel to visit my mom's house in Swoope.  Oh, memories!

I didn't have time to mow the lawn...sorry, Mom!

From there, I drove to West Virginia to spend time with my grandparents (mom's side).  I took Route 250, which is a very windy road through mountains, with plenty of steep, hairpin turns.  Google maps claims that it takes about 3 hours to get there.  But I don't think they factor in the "Suggested Speed" signs (e.g. 15 mph) along the way.

This was one of yesterday's mountain-top experiences: entering West Virginia. 

It was pretty cold...

When I arrived to my grandparents' house in Lost Creek, West Virginia (close to 10 PM), we had a great dinner/late-night snack of vegetable beef soup, with cheese and crackers.  (Note: For people who haven't lived in the South, I don't think you can quite appreciate this sort of cuisine the same way.  Just trust me...it's really good!)

My grandparents, Jim and Virginia White, are retired Methodist ministers, and always have fantastic stories to share.  And I heard once again, with at least as much appreciation as ever, the story of my grandma Janie (his first wife), and her death.  In 1974, while they were in Vienna, Austria, she encouraged him to go behind the Iron Curtain.  He was ready to go, but she was sick, and needed to stay behind with friends in Vienna.

He had begun his trip, to preach and to encourage underground Christians in several countries.  But he received news that my grandma Janie had died of a brain tumor (CT scans were not common in those days, so they had no idea of this until her biopsy was done).  With no way to reach his underground contacts, he simply had to return to Vienna, and then to the funeral in Virginia (which my mom coordinated while a college freshman).

The course of my grandad's ministry eventually took a very different turn, and he ended up being planted as a minister in West Virginia for many years.  This calling, although not what he had envisioned, was certainly part of God's purpose.  He and my grandma Virginia (his second wife) have raised up an extended family with a strong dedication to God, and service to the needy.  They are now both retired Methodist ministers, and serving the Lord wholeheartedly.

I am truly blessed to be in this family!

Tuesday in the USA

I wanted to pick a day out, and just give a snapshot of how my time in the States has gone.  This is more or less typical of how odd--and how good!--it's been to be back.

Tuesday, February 19:

I got 15 sugars in my coffee at McDonald's.  ("Wait...you didn't ask for 15 sugars in your coffee?!?")

I got to spend time with brothers and sisters at the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace.  During the noon prayer set, we prayed passionately that God would end sex trafficking in Asia.

And, meaningful in a different way, I ate mashed potatoes!  It's been way too long.

It's been a good Tuesday.

Thanksgiving for Turkey

My first Thanksgiving in China was spent in the town of Oubei, right by Wenzhou, China.  I wouldn't recommend spending Thanksgiving there, as there are no turkeys to be found.  However, if you are ever in a small Chinese town for Thanksgiving, then you should know that roast duck can work as a replacement for turkey.

You see, if you buy a duck, they'll feather it, roast it, barbecue it, chop it up, and put it in a bag with soy sauce, so that all you have to do is throw it on the plate with your homemade mashed potatoes and peas.  It is a uniquely multicultural experience (aka--a poor expat's meal idea).

My second Thanksgiving in China was spent in Shanghai.  I was working that evening, and so missed out on any chance of an American-style Thanksgiving dinner.  But, I made the most of it later that night, by making tikka masala, one of my favorite Indian dishes.  And, I won't go into details, but my thanksgiving actually spilled out into loud song that night, after a stranger gave me an onion so that I could make my dish.

There is a point to this blog post.  (Somewhere...I hope.)  Thanksgiving turkeys and Middle Eastern cuisine are typically not things that come to mind when you think of China.  However, I've been happily surprised by the number of Chinese Christians who are seriously investing into the Church in the Middle East.  And I have been honored to meet Chinese Christians who long specifically to see houses of prayer raised up in Turkey.  For this, I give thanks.

And while I wait to properly coordinate my experience of China, turkey, and Thanksgiving, I will ask you to pray for friends of mine from Hong Kong who are in Turkey now (and others who are on their way now!)